Choose the correct definite article for the following noun.
cuaderno
el
la
los
las
The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
The correct definite article for “cuaderno” is “el”.
Explanation:
In Spanish, the definite article (the equivalent of “the” in English) must agree in gender and number with the noun it modifies. Spanish nouns are categorized into two genders: masculine and feminine. Each gender has corresponding forms for the definite articles:
- “el” is used with masculine, singular nouns.
- “la” is used with feminine, singular nouns.
- “los” is used with masculine, plural nouns.
- “las” is used with feminine, plural nouns.
The word “cuaderno” is masculine, as indicated by its ending (“-o”), which is typical of masculine nouns in Spanish. Because it is singular, the corresponding definite article is “el”.
Let’s break it down further:
- Cuaderno means “notebook” or “exercise book,” and it is a common noun that falls under the masculine category. A way to identify the gender of a noun in Spanish is to look at its ending, and while there are exceptions, nouns ending in -o are generally masculine.
- In this case, because “cuaderno” is singular, the definite article must also be singular, and it must match the gender of the noun.
Therefore, the correct answer is “el cuaderno”, which translates to “the notebook.”
Here are some examples for comparison:
- La mesa (the table) – Feminine, singular noun.
- Los cuadernos (the notebooks) – Masculine, plural noun.
- Las mesas (the tables) – Feminine, plural noun.
In summary, because “cuaderno” is masculine and singular, the correct definite article is “el”.